Stabilizer device for a jet of water

ABSTRACT

A device intended for stabilizing an aerated jet of water, comprising a set of several elongated members arranged according to the jet direction along at least one of the limit surfaces of the delivered jet, said elongated members being spaced apart from one another by spaces forming passages for the ambient air.

United StaeS Patent [191 Knapp a [451 July24,1973

{54} sTAlLrzER DEVICE Eon A JET 0F WATER [76] Inventor: Alfons Knapp, Bleichers 3,

Biberack/Riss, Germany [22] Filed: Allg. 30, 1971 [2l] Appl. No.: 176,189

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 24, 1970 ltaly 70201 A/70 [52] U.S. Cl Z39/428.5, Z39/419.5, 239/520,

[51 I Int. Cl E03c 1/084, B05b l1/l4 [58] Field of Search Z39/419.5, 428.5, v 239/553, 590, 518, 520

[56] References Cited UNITEDk STATES PATENTS 9/1963 Hjulian Z39/428.5 ll/l957 Kumpman 239/428.5 X

2,998,925 9/1961 Aghnides Z39/428.5 2,842,347 7/1958 Ripley Z39/428.5 3,276,697 10/1966 Aghnides Z39/428.5 3,279,702 l0/l966 Aghnides.... Z39/428.5 3,330,486 7/1967 Semple Z39/419.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 221,878 6/1959 Australia Z39/428.5

973,292 12/1959 Germany 239/428 5 1,086,185 7/1960 Germany 239/428 5 1,189,550 4/1970 Great Britain Z39/428.5

Primary Examiner-Robert S. Ward, Jr. Attorney-Young & Thompson [57] ABSTRACT A device intended for stabilizing an aerated jet of water, comprising a set of several elongated members arranged according to the jet direction along at least one of the limit surfaces of the delivered jet, said elongated members being spaced apart from one another by spaces forming passages for the ambient air.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures STABILIZER DEVICE FOR A JET OF WATER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention refers to a device intended for stabilizing an aerated jet of water, by further improving the aeration thereof and eventually by effecting the aerationV operation when the device is made operate upon a not yet aerated jet of water.

The devices for aerating a jet of water are extensively used with the spouts of wash-basins and of sanitary appliances. Although such aerating devices normally deliver a sufficiently stable jet when the flow is rather plentiful, on the contrary, when the aerated jet is controlled at a reduced flow there often take place phenomena of jet instability. Then the jet continually changes its shape and direction, thus giving trouble to the use thereof. Some of the most used stabilization devices, as for example those having the shape of a ball or the like arranged at the delivery end of the aerating device,'have no sufficient efficiency with the more reduced flows.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION with such an efficiency as to allow eventual use of said device with a poorly aerated, or even not previously aerated jet lof water.

These objects are attained, according to the invention, due to the fact that the stabilization device comprises several elongated members, arranged along the jet direction, slightly spaced apart the one from another by free passages, such as to form a thin palisade which acts as a wall limitingthe jet. The jet adheres with a noticeable surface upon said elongated members and, through said passages, it may absorb air from the ambient.

According to an important featureof the invention, said palisade member is arranged along the inner or the outer limiting surface of a tubular jet, and gives raise to an additional input of air to the inner or respectively the outer portionof the jet or both, thus substantially improving the aeration of the jet besides its stability. Therefore, such a stabilization device may find its use even with an aerating device having a reduced efficiency or quite it may act by itself as an aerating device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This invention will appear more clearly from the following description of a preferred form of embodiment together with two modifications, diagrammatically shown in the annexed drawings, as non limitative examples. In the drawings:

FIG. l shows the stabilization device according to the invention, in a first embodiment thereof, and in the combination with an aerating device which is shown in elevation with the outer portions in section;

FIG. 2 is a plan view from bottom of the device ac cording to FIG. l; and

FIGS.3 and 4 are views similar to FIG.2 but showing two different modified embodiments of the stabilization device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The aerating device of FIG. 1 is shown in a somewhat enlarged scale and comprises, in a way per se known, a body l having through apertures 9 for entrance of air. At the upper end, the body ll has a threaded portion 2 for connection to a spout 0 and at the lower end it has a delivery mouth 1l. Within the body l is inserted a sleeve 7 which limits an interstice 8. The interstice 8 communicates at the upper end, through castellations 2l of the sleeve 7, with the inner chamber 4 of the device, and communicates through the apertures 9 with the ambient air. Upon said sleeve 7 rests a flow subdividing member 3 which also acts as a packing, and thereon is mounted a flow deflecting member M having protruding points ll6. By means of a shaft 19, the flow subdividing member 3 carries a ball 12 forming a stabilization device of a known type. The operation of this aerating device is per se known and therefore it will not be further discussed; on the other hand, it is to be understood that the stabilization device according to the invention may be used with any other kind of aerating device, although the above described one is preferred in view of its high efficiency.

The stabilization device according to the invention comprises several elongated members 25 which are arranged along the direction of the delivered jet of water 10. Said 'members 25 are slightly spaced apart the one from another and therebetween free spaces 24 are provided, so that the whole of said elongated members 2S forms a thin palisade. According to FIG. l, the members 25 are carried by the ball l2 and they may be formed integral therewith, with a suitable synthetic material.

Due to the ball l2 and to the elongated members 25 extending therefrom, the delivered iet of water 10 is prevented from converging and it takes a substantially tubular shape, i.e., it has a ring-shaped cross section. The thin palisade formed by the elongated members 25 is arranged along the inner limit surface of said tubular jet l0.

Due to the number of the elongated members 25 and to the passages provided therebetween, the inner surface of the water jet l0 adheres to the elongated members 2S on a wide surface, and the water takes a rectilinear and stable direction of displacement, even when the jet is rather slow and of a reduced flow. The free communication with the ambient air through the passages 24 between each pair of successive elongated members 2S prevents from arising places of increased or decreased pressure along the inner surface of the jet, and from developing retained air bubbles, so that a very effective stabilization is obtained even with reduced flows.

Furthermore, the water jet l0 which laps the elongated members 25 is made capable of absorbing air through the passages 24, thus improving its aeration in the inner portion thereof, where often it is less complete. The obtained air absorption has a considerable intensity, thus allowing use of a stabilization device according to the invention also in its combination with an aerating device of a reduced efficiency, or even without an aerating device. In this latter case, the stabilization device itself acts as an aerating device, although, of course, the more complete results may be obtained with the already described combination of a stabilization device according to the invention with an aerating device arranged upstream.

ln those cases wherein there is no special requirement of improving the aeration of the inner portion of the jet of water, several elongated members 27 spaced by passages 26 to fonn a thin palisade may be arranged along the outer limit surface of the water jet (instead of along the inner one), as shown by FIG. 3. Said members 27 require a ring-shaped support member; they may be carried for example by the sleeve 7, and they may be formed integral therewith. In such a case, the additional absorption of air takes place in the outer portion of the jet of water.

Finally, it is possible to arrange the elongated members 25 and 27 of the stabilization device according to the invention, both along the inner surface of the tubu lar jet of water 10, and along the outer surface thereof, thus combining together both the embodiments above described to the form of embodiment shown in FIG. 4. ln this case, an additional absorption of air takes place both at the outer portion and at the inner portion of the tubular jet of water.

The elongated members 25 and 27 have been shown in the form of little rods with circular section, which in the practice makes easier their manufacture; it is to be understood, however, that said elongated members may have any section, for example a square, rectangular or polygonal section or still another; or else they may be in the form of blades. The essential requirements are that said members be elongated, that they be arranged along a limit surface of the delivered jet of water, and that they be separated from one another by air passages. The number of the elongated members 25 and 27 forming a stabilization device may be varied as well as their supporting means. Particularly, when said elongated members are carried by a member l2 which has been pointed out as a ball, it is to be understood that the operative portion of said member is the upper dome only, and that the lower portion of the inner portion thereof may be shaped in any way or lightened, or hollowed, up to change the ball 12 into a simple shell of semispherical, conical or other suitable shape, internally hollow and extended downwards by the integral elongated members 25 forming the jet stabilizer according to this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. A device for stabilizing ajet of water delivered into the ambient air by the mouth of a spout, comprising at least one support member arranged within said spout, said support member being bathed by said jet and defining a limit surface of said jet, and several elongated members extending from said support member substantially up to the delivery mouth of the spout, said elongated members having a substantially constant section, being arranged in substantially parallel mutual relationship along said limit surface of the delivered jet and forming a palisade wall, and each pair of successive elongated members being spaced apart by a free space forming a passage for the ambient air.

2. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support member is located centrally of the water jet, whereby said support member and the elongated members extending therefrom give to the delivered jet a tubular shape, the elongated members being arranged along the inner limit surface of said tubular jet.

3. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim l, wherein said support member is ring-shaped and is passed through by the water jet, and the elongated members extending from said support member are arranged along the outer limit surface of said water jet.

4. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim l, wherein said support members are in number of two, a first support member being located centrally of the water jet, and a second support member being ring-shaped and passed through by the water jet, whereby said first support member and the elongated members extending therefrom give to the delivered jet a tubular shape, the elongated members extending from said first support member being arranged along the inner limit surface of said tubular jet, and the elongated members extending from the second support member being arranged along the outer limit surface of said water jet.

5. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an aerating device having a central member, said central member forming the support member for said *elongated members.

6. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim l, further comprising an aerating device having a ring-shaped membersaid ring-shaped member forming the support member for said elongated members.

7. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an aerating device having a central member and a ring-shaped member, both said central member and ring-shaped member forming the support members for said elongated members.

# s: w a 1k 

1. A device for stabilizing a jet of water delivered into the ambient air by the mouth of a spout, comprising at least one support member arranged within said spout, said support member being bathed by said jet and defining a limit surface of said jet, and several elongated members extending from said support member substantially up to the delivery mouth of the spout, said elongated members having a substantially constant section, being arranged in substantially parallel mutual relationship along said limit surface of the delivered jet and forming a palisade wall, and each pair of successive elongated members being spaced apart by a free space forming a passage for the ambient air.
 2. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support member is located centrally of the water jet, whereby said support member and the elongated members extending therefrom give to the delivered jet a tubular shape, the elongated members being arranged along the inner limit surface of said tubular jet.
 3. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support member is ring-shaped and is passed through by the water jet, and the elongated members extending from said support member are arranged along the outer limit surface of said water jet.
 4. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said support members are in number of two, a first support member being located centrally of the water jet, and a second support member being ring-shaped and passed through by the water jet, whereby said first support member and the elongated members extending therefrom give to the delivered jet a tubular shape, the elongated members extending from said first support member being arranged along the inner limit surface of said tubular jet, and the elongated members extending from the second support member being arranged along the outer limit surface of said water jet.
 5. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an aerating device having a central member, said central member forming the support member for Said elongated members.
 6. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an aerating device having a ring-shaped member, said ring-shaped member forming the support member for said elongated members.
 7. A stabilizer device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an aerating device having a central member and a ring-shaped member, both said central member and ring-shaped member forming the support members for said elongated members. 